Analysis of Possible Challenges in Implementation of EU Goals in Relation to Renewable Energy Sources

Energy is in all European countries traditionally treated as an activity of special national interest. By entering the EU, the member states have retained the earlier method of energy planning, making in this way the EU energy policy only a sum of energy policies of the member states. The sum of energy policies has in no way been the best policy if the EU is observed as a whole. In addition, some new challenges that the EU is faced with in the field of energy cannot be solved without a comprehensive European energy strategy. Increased use of renewable energy sources is one of the key assumptions of sustainable development in the EU energy sector and in fulfilling the request for decreasing greenhouse gases emissions. In its energy strategy the Republic of Croatia has also accepted the basic EU guidelines in this area and declared its readiness to contribute to that European initiative. There are still some unanswered and challenging details related to technical, economic and environmental parameters in connection with the future development that may question the feasibility and reliability of certain goals. This article presents EU goals related to the use of renewable sources of energy and elaborates the possible challenges in the realization of the whole project. The commitments of the Republic of Croatia and its possibilities and perspectives in realization of the set goals are also presented.(author).